Photo by Nick Hoogendam
James began his career in earnest at Café Campagne in Seattle. Under the patient guidance of Sommelier Shawn Mead, James began his long quest to understand wine. Upon moving home to Chicago he quickly resumed his studies as General Manager of Chicago favorite Café Matou. For six years he honed his craft as a new Sommelier. In the spring of 2010 Stephanie Izard was about to open Girl & the Goat and asked James to come on board as Wine Director – and of course James accepted. Unexpectedly it was James’ first minor fray into winemaking as he partnered with Saviah Cellars in Walla Walla to create the house blend for Girl & the Goat.
It did not take long for James’ desire to make wine to take hold of him and after another year he found himself on the way to Portland, Oregon to gain employment at Ponzi Cellars in the Willamette Valley. Under the close tutelage of Luisa Ponzi and her associate winemaker JP Pierce James learned the beginnings of winemaking. In 2013 James sought to purchase 500 pounds of Riesling from Brooks Vineyard to further his making education. What was expected to be a very small learning exercise and quarter ton of Riesling quickly became 2 ½ tons of fruit and James Rahn Wine Company was started. Since then James has focused on producing small lots of site-specific wines that include Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris, and two sites of Riesling. For James – joining Abbey Road Farm to create a new winery is a dream come true. He will be overseeing all winemaking operations which will include wines for Abbey Road Farm, Wilkens Family, James Rahn Wine Co, as well as co-op and custom crush operations. In addition, with the help of Stirling Fox James will oversee vineyard operations.
It did not take long for James’ desire to make wine to take hold of him and after another year he found himself on the way to Portland, Oregon to gain employment at Ponzi Cellars in the Willamette Valley. Under the close tutelage of Luisa Ponzi and her associate winemaker JP Pierce James learned the beginnings of winemaking. In 2013 James sought to purchase 500 pounds of Riesling from Brooks Vineyard to further his making education. What was expected to be a very small learning exercise and quarter ton of Riesling quickly became 2 ½ tons of fruit and James Rahn Wine Company was started. Since then James has focused on producing small lots of site-specific wines that include Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris, and two sites of Riesling. For James – joining Abbey Road Farm to create a new winery is a dream come true. He will be overseeing all winemaking operations which will include wines for Abbey Road Farm, Wilkens Family, James Rahn Wine Co, as well as co-op and custom crush operations. In addition, with the help of Stirling Fox James will oversee vineyard operations.